They Were So Young
by autumn midnights
Summary: They were so young, and in the end, that is why they are a tragic tale. James and Lily, through the years.


___Disclaimer: It is with great sadness that I report that I don't own Harry Potter. And that coming up with semi-interesting disclaimers is getting more difficult._

___Author's Note: Written for underthelane, courtesy of the Gift-Giving Extravaganza 2013. I hope you enjoy this! _

* * *

They were so young.

Only eleven years old, and Lily Evans and James Potter were going away for the first time without their parents. Lily, of course, had been to school before, but her previous education had been at a Muggle school barely half a mile away from her house; she returned home every day. This was far different. She had never been away from home for longer than one night. She had slept over friends' houses once or twice, but she had never been too far away from home.

Lily couldn't help but be extremely excited about Hogwarts, even though she tried to contain herself. Severus had told her so many interesting things about the school, and these only served to further her curiosity. There was still so much that she didn't know, but she was eagerly waiting to find out. She was curious about everything; this would be the first exciting thing that had ever really happened, her first true adventure.

James knew a lot about Hogwarts. He had been taught about the school from a young age; his parents and assorted relatives took great pleasure in telling little James stories about the Wizarding school, and as a result he was definitely one of the better-informed students boarding the train that year. His knowledge made him even more thrilled about going to Hogwarts, however. The stories he had been told were so interesting that he couldn't help but want to go, even though he knew that the school part wouldn't necessarily be as fun.

* * *

They were so young.

Only fifteen years old, and Lily and James were already seeing the way that Voldemort's propaganda and his beliefs were spreading into Hogwarts. It had been obvious, to an extent, even when they were first or second years. They had heard some of the pureblood students talk about their superiority before that point. James had heard a lot from Sirius, who tended to complain about his family in private. Lily, being Muggle-born, had experienced some of the purebloods' bullying firsthand.

It became truly noticeable when they were a little older, however. Fifth year rolled around, and the division between those who were pureblood supremacists and those who were not had never been greater. Lily saw it with Severus. He was spending a large amount of time with Avery and Mulciber and some of the other Slytherins, more than he had before. She always wondered if Severus had helped curse Mary MacDonald, but she never had the guts to ask. She feared the answer.

James knew it was only a matter of time before Severus went fully to the Dark side. To an extent, James believed, he was already there, but his friendship with Lily seemed to be the only thing holding him back. He was sure that one day, that, too, would break. In the back of James's mind was that tiny little voice that said '_If Snivellus stops being friends with Evans, maybe you'll have a chance with her.' _He didn't want to push Lily too much - sometimes he feared he already had - but he would be there, waiting, in case she ever changed her mind.

* * *

They were so young.

Only sixteen years old, and Lily and James had both lost a parent. Lily's mother had died of lung cancer, which had been discovered far too late for treatment, during the summer between fifth and sixth year, and James's father was killed by Death Eaters in November of sixth year. He had been very outspoken against them, putting as much of his time as was possible into spreading the word against them, and it had come back to him in the end.

Lily spent some of the year in a daze, not sure what to do with herself. She couldn't help but think that if only she had spent more time with her - if only she had seen her more often than during her holidays - then maybe, things would be different. The rational side of her knew that it wouldn't have changed anything, but in grief, there is little rationality.

James didn't know what to do with himself either. Half the time he wanted to throw himself into Marauder activities - like practical jokes - and the other half he felt brooding and depressed. He tried to put up a facade when he was around his classmates; he didn't want people to think of him any differently, and he sure as hell didn't want pity.

It was somewhere during the course of that year that they grew closer, bonded by their losses. They understood each other to some extent, and though they often wouldn't do much more than just sit in the common room in silence, a friendship slowly began to form. Lily still thought he was often immature, and James still harbored an undying crush on her, but they ignored these things and just took comfort in each other.

* * *

They were so young.

Only seventeen years old, and Professor Dumbledore was recruiting Lily and James to fight against Voldemort. They were invited to be members of the Order of the Phoenix, a secret society that opposed the Death Eaters; the Order was being much more effective than the Ministry. Apparently Dumbledore saw something impressive in both of them. Either that, or he was simply desperate. Either way, they were invited to join, and - typical Gryffindors that they were - they accepted.

The possibility was terrifying to Lily. She couldn't imagine actually going out there and fighting, dueling, cursing. Death Eaters were people, after all. Twisted, bigoted, Dark people, but people nonetheless, and it was hard to imagine killing or harming a person. Lily had never considered herself much of a fighter, but she had to do something. The Death Eaters did have to be stopped, after all, and if she had an opportunity to help, then she would help.

James was excited to be fighting for real. They would have to wait until they had finished school, of course, but they had reserved spots in the Order, so to speak. He couldn't wait to get out there, to jump on the front lines and take down as many Death Eaters as he could before they took him down as well. He had Lily by his side now, the love of his life - not to sound cheesy or anything - and that year, he felt invincible.

* * *

They were so young.

Only eighteen years old, and Lily Evans and James Potter became Lily and James Potter. They married shortly after leaving school, right near their one-year anniversary. It was sudden. They were young; everyone knew it, but nobody said it. Everyone understood the situation. The war was driving people together. Lily and James wanted as much happiness as possible with each other, because neither one knew how much time was left. For all Lily and James knew, they could die the next day.

It was a small wedding, attended only by their closest friends and family members, and some of the Order. The atmosphere wasn't as blissful and joyful as it could have been; the war hung a dark shadow over everything these days. Despite that, nobody could deny how completely in love Lily and James were. It may not have been the perfect wedding that they would have dreamed of as children, but it was the perfect couple.

They didn't have a honeymoon; they just moved directly into their home that night. There really wasn't time for a honeymoon, even though James had the funds for such a thing. It would feel wrong to go on holiday somewhere when every day, people were getting killed and tortured.

It didn't matter that they didn't go away. They were happy with each other.

* * *

They were so young.

Only nineteen years old, and Lily and James Potter were going to have a baby. They hadn't planned on it. They had discussed having a family at some point, but it was assumed to be in a few years, when things with the Order had settled down a bit. At this point, they were still busy. At their age, they were perfect for Order missions; a teenager snooping around or eavesdropping was much more likely to be overlooked and underestimated than some of the more senior members.

It was only a little while later that they were sent into hiding anyway; there was a prophecy, and it meant that Lily and James - and their child - were in great danger from Voldemort himself.

Lily hadn't anticipated anything like this. She had known since joining the Order that she was in danger, but it felt so strange to be in so much danger that she was actually sent away. It went against everything the Gryffindor in her wanted. As much as she had initially been wary about actually fighting the Death Eaters, now it was what she craved - action, danger, combat. Anything would be better than being stuck inside, doing nothing all the time.

* * *

They were so young.

Only twenty years old, and Lily and James Potter were officially the parents of Harry James Potter.

He was born on the thirty-first of July, slightly earlier than anticipated, but not early enough to cause any problems. Lily and James hadn't known whether their child would be male or female; they had decided not to research the charms needed to reveal such a thing. Better to be surprised. They had decided months previously that the child's middle name would be one of their names, depending on the gender of the child, but they had tossed around so many possible first names that they ended up naming the child hours after he was born.

'Harry' wasn't significant. It wasn't the name of a relative or a lost friend. It was simply a name that Lily had liked for ages - not fancy, but not as dull as 'Bob' or something to that nature. Both Lily and James agreed that 'Harry James Potter' had a wonderful ring to it, and so Harry James Potter it was.

* * *

They were so young.

Only twenty-one years old, and Lily and James Potter were no longer alive.

James had given up his life in a valiant effort to give Lily and Harry a few extra seconds to escape. He didn't even have his wand with him. He had foolishly left it in the bathroom; an hour previously, he had been annoyed with the way that the hot water ran out after ten minutes, and was trying to charm the pipes and shower to make it last longer.

He knew that the chances of Lily and Harry getting out were slim to none, but he had to try. Maybe - if they could get out a window, and if Lily could just run far enough to get off their property so she could Apparate -

He died with those thoughts in his mind.

Lily gave up her life protecting her son. She was determined to keep Voldemort from him at all costs. She knew it was futile - that he would just kill her and then kill her son - but she had to do something. There was no way she could just stand by and let Voldemort kill Harry. She didn't think she could live with the grief of losing her son and husband, anyway.

Her last thoughts were divided between love for Harry and hatred of Voldemort. She couldn't fathom how anybody could look at a child and have murder in his heart. She no longer professed to be afraid of fighting - a few Death Eaters had fallen by her hand - but killing a child was something she could not understand at all.

She died loving Harry wholeheartedly, and it resulted in his salvation.


End file.
